Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Upington and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Upington: $1,133 a month against $2,698 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $18,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in Upington
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Upington Living Index
129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index

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Upington

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,133

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,698

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Upington and in Austin, TX

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Upington and in Austin, TX actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,133 in Upington versus $2,698 in Austin, TX.

Upington $1,133
Austin, TX $2,698

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,760 in Upington versus $4,160 in Austin, TX.

Upington $1,760
Austin, TX $4,160

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,388 in Upington versus $5,622 in Austin, TX.

Upington $2,388
Austin, TX $5,622

Living in Upington costs roughly 58% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Upington is 16% below, Austin, TX is 99% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.40 R 204

$20.63 $20.63

-39.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.12 R 612

$84.6 $84.6

-56.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.69 R 93.7

$12.07 $12.07

-52.86%

Cappuccino

$1.74 R 28.68

$5.48 $5.48

-68.25%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.04 R 17.17

$3.80 $3.80

-72.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 R 12.58

$2.47 $2.47

-69.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.73 R 28.48

$8.05 $8.05

-78.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 R 46.42

$8.88 $8.88

-68.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.89 R 14.65

$1.11 $1.11

-19.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.66

$3.72 $3.72

-66.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.65 R 27.26

$3.37 $3.37

-51.04%

Eggs

$2.64 R 43.52

$4.32 $4.32

-38.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.45 R 139

$13.13 $13.13

-35.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.12 R 84.3

$14.15 $14.15

-63.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.27 R 120

$16.33 $16.33

-55.48%

Apples (1kg)

$2.04 R 33.55

$4.55 $4.55

-55.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 R 28.20

$1.46 $1.46

17.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 R 29.35

$4.71 $4.71

-62.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.29

$4.15 $4.15

-55.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 R 24.81

$2.58 $2.58

-41.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.58 R 25.95

$2.35 $2.35

-32.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 R 20.96

$1.77 $1.77

-28.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 R 16.78

$2.14 $2.14

-52.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.76 R 45.51

$10.10 $10.10

-72.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.73 R 61.4

$15.19 $15.19

-75.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 R 21.09

$2.82 $2.82

-54.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 R 28.88

$3.44 $3.44

-49.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.74 R 28.72

$1.54 $1.54

12.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.99 $40.99

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.55 R 9.03

$2.80 $2.80

-80.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.96 R 15.86

$1.60 $1.60

-40.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.66 R 176

$34.34 $34.34

-68.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 R 24.69

$0.94 $0.94

59.57%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$31.3K R 514.9K

$34.0K $34.0K

-8.02%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$34.0K R 560.5K

$26.8K $26.8K

27.10%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$146 R 2,404

$223 $223

-34.47%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$37.98 R 626

$58.9 $58.9

-35.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.45 R 633

$70.6 $70.6

-45.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.77 R 458

$57.7 $57.7

-51.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.05 R 198

$16.53 $16.53

-27.10%

Cinema Ticket

$6.94 R 114

$14.26 $14.26

-51.33%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$103 R 1,691

$1,511 $1,511

-93.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,463 R 90.0K

$20.9K $20.9K

-73.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.2 R 1,008

$51.3 $51.3

19.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.44 R 551

$44.17 $44.17

-24.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,916

$87.0 $87.0

33.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.9 R 1,597

$104 $104

-7.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$394 R 6,494

$1,940 $1,940

-79.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$369 R 6,084

$1,316 $1,316

-71.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$616 R 10.2K

$3,664 $3,664

-83.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$737 R 12.1K

$2,565 $2,565

-71.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$763 R 12.6K

$7,354 $7,354

-89.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$736 R 12.1K

$3,129 $3,129

-76.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$776 R 12.8K

$5,286 $5,286

-85.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.38

6.79

67.60%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Upington: October 18, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Upington

$369 32.6%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.8% 257% $947

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Upington

$222 19.6%

Austin, TX

$352 13.1% 58.4% $130

Groceries & Markets

Upington

$190 16.8%

Austin, TX

$406 15.1% 113% $215

Eating Out

Upington

$159 14%

Austin, TX

$350 13% 121% $191

Clothing & Footwear

Upington

$139 12.2%

Austin, TX

$129 4.8% 6.8% $9.5

Sport & Entertainment

Upington

$42 3.7%

Austin, TX

$86 3.2% 107% $45

Getting Around

Upington

$12 * 1.1%

Austin, TX

$58 2.2% 370% $46

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $394 in Upington and $1,940 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 582% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $37.00 in Upington vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $190 vs $406 per month, with Upington cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Upington

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

02:13 2:13 AM

19:13 7:13 PM

7 h behind Upington

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,834

974,447

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

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Between locations

Upington Austin, TX 14,170 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Upington
Austin, TX

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Upington vs Austin, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Upington wins on cost – living expenses run 138% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Upington the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 582% lower in Austin, TX. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $394 in Upington versus $1,940 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $103 in Upington versus $1,511 in Austin, TX. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Upington – a meal for two runs $37.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,133 in Upington versus $2,698 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Upington but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Upington the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Upington gentler on the wallet – expenses run 138% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.